Austin Cook

Cabaret Night at DRG

Currently all the members of our group work at Discovery Ranch for Girls.

We noticed that while the girls have some small opportunities to participate in

musical activities, they do not have the chance to perform and show the musical

talents they possess. We wanted to give them the opportunity to practice and

improve their musical talents and perform them for their peers. We all love music

and try to find any chance we can to share it with others.

We first had to come up with the best way for the residents of the ranch to

showcase their musical talent. After putting together Cabaret Night, we planed the

practice time and how the girls would get ready for the final night. We came up with

a schedule of practices and set about preparing for the big night. Along with those

practices we had meetings of our own where we planned the logistics of

instruments and equipment we would need. We also prepared the set list for that

evening.

Our main goal for this project was to allow the girls a chance to be

themselves and perform numbers that represented them and their unique

situations. We wanted them to be able to show off the talents they possess and find

a greater love for music. Our secondary objective was to help them develop the skills

needed not only for musical performance but also for everyday life. We wanted

them to develop organizational skills, responsibility, hard work, and self-confidence.

We believe that this goal was achieved. We watched them work hard over

those few weeks of practice and really buy into the idea. They had to have their

music with them at practices, show up on time, and work really hard to prepare for

the event. It was incredible to see them give it their all and focus hard to be ready in

time. We could not be more pleased with the results.

Cabaret Night itself was incredibly fun for the girls and us. Because of the

work they put into their musical numbers they had confidence and really showed

their musical potential during the performances. The whole evening was a lot of fun

and we were lucky enough to have some of the SUU Jazz Band perform for us. The

girls had a chance to ask questions and learn how hard work can help you achieve

not only musical goals but also anything else you want to accomplish. We are so

happy with how this evening turned out.

Planning and executing took a lot of patience and organization. Because it

was not entirely dependent on us we had to have patience with the girls and make

sure everything was well organized and ready to go during every phase of

preparation. We had to adjust our teaching and help to fit each girl and their level of

musical skill. Many of these girls lack self-confidence and don’t always believe in

themselves. We were there to encourage, and help them see what they were capable

of.

I believe this EDGE program is in place to give those who attend SUU an

advantage over other university grads. To me, the EDGE program represents a

chance to step outside of the classroom and do something more than take a test or

read a textbook. It means using the skills we are currently practicing. The more

opportunities we have to practice what we learn, the more we will be prepared for

life after school. I know that planning and executing our EDGE project has given me

the confidence to continue moving forward with my education.